Definition of "centralize" [cen•tral•ize]

• To draw into or toward a center; consolidate. (verb-transitive)
• To bring under a single, central authority: The Constitution centralizes political power in the federal government. (verb-transitive)
• To come together at a center; concentrate. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "CWT's Wagner, who prefers not to use the word centralize, offers a similar suggestion."
• "To clarify matters, Tony Liu, Chairman and CEO of the company, positioned the purchase as a way to "centralize" its management in Beijing, calling the facilities "multi-functional," which sounds both more sophisticated and less specific than "convention center.""
• "Dewey & LeBoeuf said Tuesday it is transferring all of its San Francisco attorneys and their staff to its East Palo Alto, Calif., office to "centralize" its Bay Area presence of nearly 30 lawyers."